| Foreword
in English
Perhaps all creative works are the result of a serendipitous array
of factors. This one certainly was.
A year ago, the publisher of Seraphim Editions, Maureen Whyte,
sat in my office promoting the launch of another book, My
Spirit Wonders, an anthology of art, prose and poetry produced
by people in prison. At that time, I was just in the beginning stages
of developing an interesting art-for-charity initiative. The idea
was to use art produced by Inuit Carvers housed in a federal prison
in Ontario, and sell it by auction in Toronto to raise money for
a charity in the carvers’ home territory of Nunavut. As I
described this project to Maureen, she exclaimed, “that would
make a wonderful book!”
Together we took the idea of the book to the Carvers group. They
agreed to the idea and the rest is history … but not quite
that easy a history. The charity art auction on which this book
is based, and the collection of autobiographies and photographs
for this book, required the hard work and persistence and creativity
of many people.
Prison is not an easy place to be creative! The impact of an institution
designed to restrict liberties can severely impair the ability to
create and the desire to freely contribute back to the community.
These nine artists must be commended for their willingness and ability
to rise above the effects of being in prison in a strange land far
away from home, to produce wonderful art that raised over $14,000
for the Illitiit Society in Nunavut.
The project’s success is also a result of the extra work,
beyond the call of duty, by several staff at Fenbrook Institution,
including Leetia Kowalchuk, the Inuit Liaison; Jim Spicer, Inuit
programs coordinator; and especially Sylvia Purdon, Private Sector
Liaison, who coordinated the project from the institution side.
Sylvia even came into the institution on weekends and holidays so
the carving shed could be open extra hours for the fellows working
so hard to complete the items for auction. The support and involvement
of many other staff at the institution, including the Warden, and
several Assistant Wardens, was also vital for the success of the
project.
Neither the auction nor the book would have been possible without
one more significant component: volunteers in the Toronto arts community.
Pat Feheley and Feheley Fine Arts Inuit Art Gallery, Duncan McLean
and Waddington’s Appraisers and Auctioneers, and Kathryn Minard
and Contemporary Fine Art Services Inc. provided wise counsel, address
lists, venues and refreshments for events, advertising, and catalogue
printing. Ontario College of Art and Design Community Arts Program
student Janice Marin assisted with relationship-building with the
artists, helped the men write their autobiographies, helped with
the photography, made a video of the event, and contributed a painting
of one of the carvers for auction.
I had the privilege of somehow coordinating all this disparate
activity in my role as Community Outreach Coordinator with the Correctional
Service Canada Central District (Ontario) Parole Office in Toronto.
A very rewarding endeavour indeed!
Evan Heise
Toronto, Canada
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The Fenbrook Inuit Arctic Carving
Co-operative
Fenbrook Institution is designated by the Correctional Service
of Canada to receive federal offenders from the new territory of
Nunavut located in the Eastern Arctic.
As Warden, I have been pleased to observe the progress the Inuit
offenders have made in their carving business, the Fenbrook Arctic
Carving Co-operative.
The Inuit Carvers qualify for the job of Inuk Carver by following
their Correctional Plan and maintaining good institutional behaviour.
Most carvers are half-time carvers and participate half-day in either
school or correctional programs. Out of a population of 25-35 Inuit
there are usually 12-15 active carvers.
Through soapstone carving, Inuit express the deepest meanings in
their culture. The caribou, the walrus, whales and seals, polar
bears, family groups and the magic of the shaman frequently find
expression in the art of the Inuit.
Research has shown that employment after release is essential to
successful reintegration when offenders return to their home communities.
With strong carving skills and good marketing knowledge, the Fenbrook
Inuit Carvers have a better chance to earn a legitimate living for
themselves and their families back home.
All of the Carvers in the Charity Art Auction donated the sculptures
to the cause of the Illitiit Society of Nunavut, an organization
that provides direct services to victims and the homeless in Iqaluit.
This was a great opportunity for us all to contribute directly
to those in need in Nunavut, the home of the Inuit.
Mike Provan, Warden
Fenbrook Institution, Gravenhurst, Ontario
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Introduction to the Carving
Program
The Fenbrook Inuit Arctic Carving Cooperative was established at
Fenbrook to provide the opportunity to the Inuit offenders to create
soapstone sculptures for the wholesale art market. By carving to
art market standards the Inuit improve their carving skills and
become acutely aware of the demands of that market.
When released after sentence to his home community, the Inuit Carver's
potential economic contribution to his household income is improved
because he has worked at developing his technical and marketing
skills. The commissions earned through his carving proceeds are
kept in a savings account for his future release.
When asked what they wanted to accomplish while at Fenbrook, the
first group of Inuit offenders said that they wanted to carve, and
they wanted to send money home to their families. A number of Inuit
Carvers have received Warden approval to send money home from their
savings earned from carving.
An Inuit can receive approval to replace or purchase new carving
tools from his earnings. The Inuit Carving Group pays for all the
costs of running the Carving Cooperative, including courier shipping
costs, and replacement tools. The Carvers meet regularly to develop
policy and procedures for the operations of their Carving enterprise.
Many long miles from home, the Inuit Carvers through their carving
remain rooted in the Inuit tradition. The carvings reflect the home
life of the hamlets, the magic Shaman transformation, the struggle
on the land, the familiar animals of land and sea, the nesting birds,
the lumbering walrus, the big-footed caribou.
Thus is established a grounding for the Inuit in his culture within
the corrections setting. Observing this, the Fenbrook staff has
gained an enriched understanding of this truly remarkable group
of people, the Inuit.
Sylvia Purdon
Private Sector Liaison
Fenbrook Institution
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Looking to the Future
Over the last fifty years, contemporary Canadian Inuit art has
undergone a breathtaking evolution. Style, scale, subject matter
and materials have changed significantly as the artists themselves
have gone from a migratory hunting lifestyle to townspeople living
in the modern, self-governing territory of Nunavut.
The creation of works of art in traditional culture was limited
by the scarcity of available materials and the realities of a harsh
lifestyle. Sculptures were tiny, primarily made of bone, ivory and
antler. Graphic expression was limited to the decoration of tools
and clothing. This changed greatly as the Inuit began to move into
settlements after 1950. With this transition to permanent residence,
sculptures of greater scale and complexity could be conceived for
the first time. Larger pieces of stone became available with new
quarrying methods, and artists who were no longer migratory were
able to work in larger scale.
New means of artistic expression were introduced, including prints,
textiles, ceramics and metalwork. These allowed artists to diversify
their traditional graphic and sculptural artistic expression. New
technologies, including power tools, allowed the artists to achieve
greater complexity in their compositions. At the same time, as artists
in the north were embracing these new possibilities for their art,
a strong national and international market for Inuit art was developing
in the south. The market developed and, for the first time, making
art could be viewed as a means of providing for the family –
so more time could be devoted to it.
Contemporary Inuit art continues to evolve and develop. Slowly,
the twin barriers of distance and communication are being surmounted.
Some artists have chosen to live in the south, either temporarily
or permanently. The younger generations are primarily bilingual;
easier travel to the south and increased telecommunications mean
that the artist is more readily able to represent himself to his
audience in the south.
Social changes in the north have certainly had an effect, and yet
Inuit artists continue to portray the traditional culture through
their work. Many in the south predicted, as early as the 1950’s,
that Inuit carvings would lose their distinctive qualities and fall
prey to commercialization. Instead, contemporary Inuit artists have
melded tradition with innovation in their works of art which are
among the most exciting and dynamic in Canada today.
The story of contemporary Inuit art is still unfolding. The developments
of the last half-century have allowed truly talented artists the
opportunity to be recognized and encouraged. The individual growth
and formal concerns of these artists are the key to the ongoing
successful evolution of Inuit art. No longer a reflection of a past
life in the frozen north, it speaks of today’s reality, filtered
through a still vibrant culture.
Patricia Feheley
Feheley Fine Arts
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